If Djokovic plays, he’s still a favourite, says Tim Henman as he picks his contenders for the men’s singles title
CARLOS ALCARAZ
Winner 2023 The defending Wimbledon champion has just won the French Open with an amazing level of play. It’s incredible that he has such a complete game at such a young age — and has won three Grand Slam titles on three surfaces (hard, grass and clay).
The crowd love him — he’s one of the most popular players. I’m sure that’ll be the case again this Wimbledon.
JANNIK SINNER
The new world No 1 won his first Grand Slam this year in Australia and plays really well on grass. He lost in the Wimbledon semis last year to Djokovic, but he’s become a better player and is more confident having won a Slam. One of the biggest ball strikers, he hits the ball incredibly hard off both wings. He needs to get more comfortable moving forward, but his serve has improved a lot with alterations to his technique. He’s had hip issues but hopefully can be back at 100%. Could he make the final? Absolutely.
JACK DRAPER
By winning his maiden ATP title this June in Stuttgart, he became British No 1 and may be seeded at Wimbledon. He’s had a tough time with injuries; he missed the whole 2023 grass season with a shoulder problem, so the only way is up. He has a big game — left-handed, he’s a good athlete who understands grass having played on it as a junior. Jack is going to be so eager to get in front of the home fans. I’m excited to see how he plays.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
He’s won 24 Grand Slams, seven of them Wimbledon — but hasn’t reached a final this year. At June’s French Open he aggravated a knee problem and needed surgery. Knee surgery affected Roger Federer near the end of his career, so I hope Djokovic can recove
